Guide means

ABSTRACT

A guide means which provides patterning apparatus particularly for use with sewing machines comprising a board with pattern markings thereon and a follower for said pattern and means for driving said follower relative to said pattern.

GUIDE MEANS This invention is for improvements in or relating to guide means and is particularly concerned with guide means of the kind used with an industrial machine such as for example a sewing machine so that a predetermined pattern may be sewn by the machine on to a given workpiece.

The invention has application to forming eiderdowns, quilts, or the stitching of leather or imitation leather to form chair backs, settee backs and similar articles where quilting or mock quilting is employed.

It will be appreciated that the quilting is applied to a workpiece in a given pattern and it is desired to be able to repeat that pattern rapidly and easily on successive workpieces. It is known to provide a guide track for use with a sewing machine of the kind in which there is provided a substantially flat member having a corrugated strip located at the bottom of a groove formed in such a member and including a follower which is provided with means for engaging the corrugations of the strip and in which the follower is also driven so that it is moved relative to the workpiece along the predetermined track.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved form of guide means and in particular provides patteming apparatus particularly for use with sewing machines comprising a board with pattern markings thereon and a follower for said pattern and means for driving said follower relative to said pattern. In one particular aspect the present invention also includes a groove formed in a substantially flat member such as a board and the follower includes a pin or the like which engages into the groove, there being provided separate means for driving the pin along the path formed by the groove. Such means may for example include a rotatable driving rubber or similar wheel which has sufficient frictional contact with the surface of the board.

In an alternative construction the pattern is marked on to a substantially flat board without any groove and an operator rotates about a substantially vertical axis the follower relative to the pattern by means of a wheel or the like so that as the follower is driven by a rotatable wheel the operator rotates the guiding mechanism and thus ensures that the pattern which is produced by the sewing machine is the same as that marked on to the board. By these means, fancy patterns of a kind which could not be formed in a groove or the like can be created and similarly patterns for use in sampling may readily be made up and their visual efi'ect observed before forming the pattern into a groove for more permanent and automatic operation.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood reference is now made to the accompanying drawing which illustrates in perspective a diagram of the apparatus according to the present invention.

The drawing illustrates a board 1 having a groove 2 of predetermined pattern formed therein and a substantially cylindrical rod 7 is adapted to engage in the groove 2. Said rod 7 is secured to a yoke 3 which is rotatable on a collar 13 relative to a substantially vertically located shaft. The groove is conveniently parallel iiiitii zfi fifi i gi'hm 1s rotatable by other means not specifically illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Secured to the shaft 15 is a worm 6 which drives a gear 5 rotatably mounted on yoke 3 and either through a chain and sprocket arrangement or by a pinion arrangement or by direct frictional drive, drive is imparted from the gear 5 to a wheel 4 having a rubber periphery adapted to have driving contact with the upper surface of the board 1.

A sprocket wheel 14 is secured relative to the collar 13. The sprocket wheel 14 may be rotated by a chain 9 rotatable by a crank handle 11 rotating another sprocket wheel 12 all mounted relative to a plate 10 on the exterior of the machine to which the present apparatus is attached. By this arrangement the shaft 15 can be rotated through 360 by rotation of the crank l l and then the direction of the follower controlled manually by the crank 11. Special patterns such as signatures can readily be formed.

It will be appreciated that if the shaft 15 is rotated then drive is imparted to the wheel 4 and thus the assembly is driven along the track 2 in the board 1. Should the curve of the track be such that the follower 7 is not driven round comers an operator is able to operate the crank handle 11 in the appropriate direction and thus rotate the yoke 3 relative to the point at which the follower 7 is prevented from further movement thus bringing the driving wheel 4 to a different position which enables it to drive the follower 7 forward along the track 2 again. If desired the follower 7 may be manually guided along a track marked on the surface of a board 1 by constant rotation first in one direction and then in the other of the crank 11 as, for example, a signature may be traced out or any other desired pattern either as a novelty or prior to the forming of a groove 2 in a board 1. It will be appreciated that patterning apparatus of this kind may be secured to a machine such as of the kind for quilting and stitching workpieces so that a workpiece located relative to the sewing machine will be appropriately worked on according to the pattern traced out.

What we claim is:

1. Guide means for patterning arrangement for use with a sewing machine comprising a board having pattern markings thereon and groove means therein, a follower having a resilient outer periphery driving surface including side pin means to engage said groove, means for driving said follower relative to said board; guide means for said follower comprising a sprocket, a yoke, collar means, a chain engaging said sprocket and a crank with a sprocket driving said chain to guide said follower through 360; said means for driving said follower comprising a substantially vertical driven shaft having a worm driving a pinion which imparts drive to a wheel contacting the upper surface of said board. 

1. Guide means for patterning arrangement for use with a sewing machine comprising a board having pattern markings thereon and groove means therein, a follower having a resilient outer periphery driving surface including side pin means to engage said groove, means for driving said follower relative to said board; guide means for said follower comprising a sprocket, a yoke, collar means, a chain engaging said sprocket and a crank with a sprocket driving said chain to guide said follower through 360*; said means for driving said follower comprising a substantially vertical driven shaft having a worm driving a pinion which imparts drive to a wheel contacting the upper surface of said board. 